Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A printing support system, comprising: an information processing apparatus; and an image forming apparatus, wherein the information processing apparatus stores document data that is data of a document to be distributed, the information processing apparatus generates distribution target data indicating distribution targets that are persons to whom a printed matter based on the document data is to be distributed, the image forming apparatus stores a print setting for each of belonging departments, the image forming apparatus receives a piece of the document data and a piece of the distribution target data corresponding to the piece of the document data, which are transmitted from the information processing apparatus, based on the piece of the distribution target data thus received, the image forming apparatus recognizes, among the belonging departments, departments to which the distribution targets belong, respectively, the image forming apparatus recognizes, among the departments to which the distribution targets belong, respectively, a minimum color number department whose permissible number of colors used in printing is smallest, when a permissible number of colors used in the piece of the document data is larger than the permissible number of colors used in printing of the minimum color number department, the image forming apparatus determines a highlight part in the piece of the document data, which has been edited for highlighting, the image forming apparatus generates automatic highlight image data that is image data including the highlight part subjected to a highlighting process and using a number of colors equal to the permissible number of colors used in printing of the minimum color number department and in which a character indicating that the highlight part is important is added to the highlight part, and based on the automatic highlight image data, the image forming apparatus performs printing.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
2. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein before performing the printing based on the automatic highlight image data, the image forming apparatus displays a preview image based on the automatic highlight image data, and upon accepting a printing start instruction, the image forming apparatus starts the printing based on the automatic highlight image data.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Before printing based on this automatic highlight image data, the image forming apparatus displays a preview. Printing commences only after a printing start instruction is accepted.
3. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus recognizes a character contained in the piece of the document data, and based on the character thus recognized, the image forming apparatus determines the highlight part.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. The image forming apparatus recognizes characters within the document data and determines the highlight part based on these recognized characters. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
4. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus stores determination data for determining the highlight part, based on the determination data, the image forming apparatus determines the highlight part, and the determination data is data defining a preset condition for determining the highlight part.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. The image forming apparatus stores "determination data" defining preset conditions, and uses this data to determine the highlight part. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
5. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein the information processing apparatus recognizes a name contained in an email message, and based on the name thus recognized, the information processing apparatus generates the distribution target data.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The information processing apparatus recognizes a name from an email message and uses it to generate the distribution target data. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
6. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein the information processing apparatus accepts an input to select a person to be added to the distribution targets, and the information processing apparatus includes, in the distribution target data, the person thus selected.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The information processing apparatus also accepts user input to select additional persons to be included in the distribution targets, adding them to the distribution target data. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
7. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus recognizes character colors of characters contained in the piece of the document data, and the image forming apparatus determines, as the highlight part, a character string having, among the character colors, a character color used for a predetermined or less number of characters in the piece of the document data.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. The image forming apparatus recognizes character colors within the document data and determines a character string as the highlight part if its character color is used for a predetermined or fewer number of characters in the document. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
8. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein among characters contained in the piece of the document data, the image forming apparatus determines, as the highlight part, a character part having a character size other than a most-used character size, and the image forming apparatus determines, as the highlight part, a character part having a font type other than a most-used font type.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. The image forming apparatus determines a character part as the highlight part if it has a character size different from the most-used character size, or a font type different from the most-used font type in the document. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
9. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where an arrow is contained in the piece of the document data, the image forming apparatus determines that a character or an image pointed by the arrow is the highlight part.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. If an arrow is present in the document data, the image forming apparatus identifies the character or image pointed to by the arrow as the highlight part. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
10. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus recognizes a highlighting expression used in a page including the highlight part in the piece of the document data, and the image forming apparatus performs, with respect to the highlight part, the highlighting process using a highlighting expression not used in the page.
This invention relates to a printing support system that enhances document printing by intelligently handling highlighted text. The system addresses the problem of maintaining visual clarity when printing documents containing highlighted sections, which can sometimes be difficult to distinguish due to color limitations or overlapping highlighting styles. The system includes an image forming apparatus that processes document data before printing. When a document contains highlighted text, the apparatus analyzes the page to identify any existing highlighting expressions (such as color, shading, or underlining) already present. To ensure the highlighted part stands out, the apparatus applies a new highlighting expression to the target section that differs from any existing highlighting on the same page. This prevents visual confusion and ensures the highlighted content remains easily distinguishable. The apparatus may also determine the most suitable highlighting method based on factors like the document's background color, text color, or other formatting elements. The system dynamically adjusts the highlighting style to optimize readability and visual contrast, improving the printed output's usability. This approach is particularly useful in professional or academic settings where highlighted text must be clearly visible for reference or annotation purposes.
11. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus accepts a selection of the highlighting process to be used, and the image forming apparatus performs the highlighting process thus selected.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. The image forming apparatus accepts a user selection for the specific highlighting process to be used, and then performs that selected highlighting process. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
12. The printing support system according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus stores department information containing information on the belonging departments registered beforehand, the image forming apparatus stores user information containing information on accessible users of the image forming apparatus and defining the departments to which the accessible users belongs, respectively, and the department information includes a permissible number of colors used in printing of each of the belonging departments.
A printing support system includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus stores document data and generates distribution target data indicating persons to whom the printed document should be distributed. The image forming apparatus stores print settings for each department. It also stores department information with registered departments and their permissible number of colors for printing, alongside user information defining accessible users and their respective departments. It receives the document and distribution data from the information processing apparatus. Based on this data, it identifies the departments of the distribution targets and then finds the "minimum color number department" – the department with the smallest permissible number of colors for printing. If the document's color usage exceeds this minimum, the image forming apparatus identifies a pre-edited highlight part in the document. It then generates "automatic highlight image data" for this part, using only the permissible number of colors of the minimum color number department, and adds a character indicating its importance. Finally, the image forming apparatus performs printing based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
13. A method for controlling a printing support system including an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus, the method comprising steps of: storing, in the information processing apparatus, document data that is data of a document to be distributed, generating, by the information processing apparatus, distribution target data indicating distribution targets that are persons to whom a printed matter based on the document data is to be distributed, storing, in the image forming apparatus, a print setting for each of belonging departments, receiving, by the image forming apparatus, a piece of the document data and a piece of the distribution target data corresponding to the piece of the document data, which are transmitted from the information processing apparatus, recognizing, by the image forming apparatus, based on the piece of the distribution target data thus received, among the belonging departments, departments to which the distribution targets belong, respectively, recognizing, by the image forming apparatus, among the departments to which the distribution targets belong, respectively, a minimum color number department whose permissible number of colors used in printing is smallest, determining, by the image forming apparatus, when a permissible number of colors used in the piece of the document data is larger than the permissible number of colors used in printing of the minimum color number department, a highlight part in the piece of the document data, which has been edited for highlighting, generating, by the image forming apparatus, automatic highlight image data that is image data including the highlight part subjected to a highlighting process and using a number of colors equal to the permissible number of colors used in printing of the minimum color number department and in which a character indicating that the highlight part is important is added to the highlight part, and performing, based on the automatic highlight image data, printing by the image forming apparatus.
A method for controlling a printing support system involves an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The method comprises steps of: storing document data in the information processing apparatus; generating distribution target data in the information processing apparatus, indicating persons for document distribution; storing print settings for each department in the image forming apparatus; receiving document data and distribution target data from the information processing apparatus by the image forming apparatus; recognizing, by the image forming apparatus and based on the distribution target data, the departments of the distribution targets; identifying, by the image forming apparatus, the "minimum color number department" (smallest permissible colors for printing) among these departments; determining, by the image forming apparatus, a pre-edited highlight part in the document if the document's color usage exceeds the minimum color number department's limit; generating "automatic highlight image data" by the image forming apparatus for the highlight part, using only the minimum permissible colors and adding an "important" indicator; and performing printing by the image forming apparatus based on this generated automatic highlight image data.
Unknown
July 21, 2020
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